Today's Lunchtime Reading West Coast Avengers #23 Showtime!

West Coast Avengers #23 Showtime!

Published: August 10th 1987

Writer: Steve Englehart Penciler: Al Milgrom Cover Artist: Al Milgrom

The Present

Hank Pym, Espirita and Moon Knight take Rover all the way to New York to the headquarters of the Fantastic Four. There they examine the wreckage of the time machine destroyed by Dominus. Hank and Reed begin putting the pieces back together while the Thing lugs heavy chunks of machinery all over the place.

2940 BCE

The Avengers now have only one chance left to get home – Doctor Strange. But first they must fight through another legion of soldiers loyal to Rama-Tut. The Priests of Khonshu, and those formerly enslaved by Rama, assist the Avengers and they battle their way from Rama-Tut's court back to the Sphinx.

By the time they get through all of this though, they learn that Doctor Strange has already escaped and returned home. But Hawkeye still succeeded in keeping his promise to Khonshu by aiding in the overthrow of Rama-Tut. By delaying Rama's guards from imprisoning Doctor Strange's body, they allowed Strange to separate his astral self and use his magic to transform the Thing back into a human, allowing him to slip free of his bonds and free the rest of the Fantastic Four. At which point, the FF forced Rama-Tut to flee into the time stream.

1876

Mockingbird decides to track down the Night Rider alone. Racing on a horse through a perilous rainstorm, she finds the Rider floating above Spirit Peak. She begins fighting him, but the Rider continues to profess his love to her. Mockingbird batters him back with her battle staves forcing him over the cliff's edge. The Night Rider manages to grip onto the edge of the cliff and begs Mockingbird to rescue him. Bobbi has plenty of time to save the Night Rider's life, but chooses to let him lose his grasp and fall to his death. This decision will haunt her for many months to come.

The Present

Back in the present, Hank and Reed complete the repairs on the time machine. Along with Moon Knight and Espirita, they travel back to ancient Egypt in the year 2940 BCE. They pick up the rest of the Avengers and then travel forward to Lordsburg, New Mexico in 1876 to pick up Mockingbird.

One final trip forward through time and everyone is finally home. And it was all because of Hawkeye's enduring two-hundred year old note.